A Curse of Immortality
by Mad Hatter Korasu
Summary: Vampires, demons, and crazy kings oh my! A vampire that sees his existance as a curse, a human with an unknown past, & demons who want the vampire. There's a hitch in the stitch of the demons' plan when the human finds the vampire first. Kai/Tala Yaoi
1. Prologue

**Ello loves Mad Hatter Korasu here. I know what everyone is thinking what happened to Among Vampires and Werewolves? Well I decided to rewrite it. I kinda lost steam with it, then when I finally had insperation my computer decided to die. I have learned rather quickly just because a site says it's safe does not nessesarily make it true. Viruses suck. And when I got a new computer I had found out I lost the notebook that had the whole thing in it. So...I looked at it on my account and decided it was a bit rushed so Im rewriting it and there is the little fact I don't remember where I was going with it. That's my excuse. So please be patient it will be up soon, new and improved. But just to tide you over here is a story I have been working on for a bit. **

**Disclaimer:**** I (unfortunatley) do NOT own Beyblade or any of its characters, this is just me playing with them. I do, however, own my OCs and this universe plot. So no copying.**

**Warning:**** This is a **_**YAOI!**_ ** Meaning eventual BOYxBOY. If you don't approve please save me the trouble of an angry review and go find something else to read. **

**Prologue:**

**?P.O.V.?**

_**"You dare to stand against me, human?" **_His voice was patronizing, even to me, and held an irritated edge to it. He narrowed deep colored eyes at me when I tried to shift out from under him. He pushed the heel of his boot further into the wound in my back causing more pain through my body. He then looked back at my human lover who had shifted into a fighting stance with his sword unsheathed.

_**"Why not? Let's see if you can back up the legends about you. Or if it's just your face that gave them life." **_I would have laughed at that if I could breathe through the pain. I wanted so much to be able to breathe, just for a split second, to tell him not to fight. I didn't want him to fight, I wanted him to run.

_**"Very well, human. If you wish, I will show you how the legends gained life."**_He snapped his fingers and I was suddenly held by soul-eaters, black snake-like dragons that had the ability to negate another creatures powers. They lifted me off the floor and pinned me to the wall, my arms above my head and away from eachother and my legs bound together.

My old allie turned away from my lover to look at me. He smiled a wicked smile and pulled another sword out from underneith his cloak. My eyes widened in horror. I was accutely familar with this blade. It was a claymore of pure silver. The hilt, made of interlaced white gold and hardened crystal, was perfectly balanced with the blade. It was five feet long and had its own intimadating and wicked air about it. But of course the curse laid upon the blade by a dark preistess played some part in the wickedness. The curse made it so that with every victim he claimed useing it, the sword would gain more in power. So the silver blade was stained with the blood of his enemies and once upon a time, mine as well. But I feared this blade now, because it was not being used against my enemies. Now it was being wielded against the very man I loved.

_**"I can see you remember this my old friend."**_ He said smiling like a snake. Then he turned abruptly and plunged the blade into me right beneath my sternum. I gave an out cry of pain and could taste blood in my mouth. His smile widened as he leant into me pushing the blade deeper, whispering. _**"We both know this will not kill you. But it will be enough to keep you from saving your precious, pet human. Will it not, my liege? Now watch as I take your very reason for being away from you." **_He stepped back pulling the blade with him. The sword seemed to come to life then, awakened by the taste of blood and begging for more.

I looked at my beloved he was not happy with what he had just witnessed. I looked him in the eyes, begging him to run, pleading with him to get away. He looked back into mine and gave me a smile. _**"I will not run, love. I can not and will not leave you here, to face him alone. Please do not ask that of me. I would rather die here, then live a life knowing I could have at least tried to save you."**_ He then turned his gaze onto the man beside me. _**"Shall we begin?" **_

__My friend, turned foe, stepped down onto the ballroom floor, slipping into his fighting stance as he did so. Then it began, he charged him and swung his blade and I watched as my lover deflected it. My lover smiled, happy that he finally had a worthy opponent. I knew both of them were amazing swordsman, but I also knew that unlike my human lover, my old friend would not tire easily. I watched as they clashed swords, watched how each swing came close to slicing one of them open. Everytime their swords met sparks flew and the swords sang.

I could not sit here anymore and watch this. _'Think damn it, think.'_ Then a sudden idea sprang to mind. I couldn't do anything in these soul-eaters grasp, they stopped me from useing any of my abilities except one. I could still use telepathy, I could still call on my animals. _'I don't have enough strength to call my strongest allie, but my call will reach some of the others.'_ The tigers were the only ones close enough to get here on time. I closed my eyes and tried desperately to ignore the pain surging through my body. I summoned all my strength and sent out one massive message. _'All of you come to me. I beg you please. Save him!' _

I opened my eyes to see those once kind eyes staring at me with a very unfriendly look. Then his expression changed to that of shock at the sword through his stomache. He gave a feral growl and flipped his sword around in his hand and plunged it through my lover's chest. I was horror struck. I watched as the dark crimson of his life's blood poured out over the sword, and a painfilled gasp passed through his lips. Stepping backwards, letting the sword pull free, he fell to his knees. He looked at me a plea for forgivness written in his eyes, and then fell forward. There was no sound of him hitting the ground, however, as my old friend had expected. Whirling around just in time to see him lifted on a tiger's back and the tiger leap over him to me. He gave a growl and went to swing at them but a bite on each arm prevented any movement. Two other tigers had gotten behind him without his knowing it. After he glanced around I could see he finally realized I had used what strength I had left to call all of my tigers. Though truth be told I didn't really expect the call to reach all three clans. One shifted back to his human form and punched him hard across the face.

He glared at the tiger and with fury laced in his voice, _**"Bastard."**_

__The tiger growled at him and hit him again causing him to rock back on his feet. _**"I'm a bastard, I'M A BASTARD? Look at what you have done to our master and I'm the bastard? We will teach you what it means to be loyal, traitor." **_With that said he snapped his fingers and all the tigers converged on him.

The tiger at my feet gently layed my lover down and shifted back to his human form. He looked at me with anger in his eyes. Standing he lit the soul-eaters on fire and caught me the moment they released their hold. He let me slide down the wall to a sitting position. I peered up at him. _**"Thank you for coming."**_

_** "You should have called on us earlier master. Damn it, look at you. You're a mess. And he looks just as bad." **_He replied pointing to my lover. I tried to move forward to him but the tiger pushed me against the wall, shaking his head 'No'. Then using a clawed hand he opened a vein. _**"Drink. If you are going to be of any use to him or us you need your strength back. Please." **_

__I shook my head, realizing he was thinking of both me and my lover. He knew I would not be strong enough to resist the blood-lust, due to my injuries, my state of mind was not at all sane. I took his bleeding arm and brought it to my mouth. The moment I smelled the blood, blood-lust set in and I attatched myself to him, sinking sharp fangs into his arm. He grunted a little not expecting it and I let the hot, copper-tasting substance run down my throat. I felt my wounds heal and my strength returned almost instantaniously along with my sanity. I released him and gave him an apologetic look.

_**"Can you please help him while I deal with this?" **_I asked standing. He gave me a nod and I walked towards the others. As I appraoched the tigers pulled the now beaten form of my allie turned enemy up onto his knees in front of me. I glowered down at him.

_**"What's the matter, old friend? Angry that I hurt your human?" **_He spit venomously at me._** "You make me sick. The old you would have never taken a human lover. You stuck to your own kind. Only taking a human as a means of food. I saw you as someone strong and ruthless. I see now that I was wrong."**_

_** "Yes that's how I used to be. But meeting him has changed my entire outlook on this tortureous exsistance of mine. I was misserable before and after the war. I saw my exsistance as nothing but a curse. That's why I let things happen as they did. I no longer wished to continue with this cursed existence. And to answer your previous question yes, I am angry you hurt him. I wish nothing more than to cause you great pain. However, I will not, because I have no say in your sentence, old friend. My tigers will be taking you to her. She will give you your sentence."**_ His eyes widened. He knew of exactly whom I spoke and that there was no longer any escape. I looked at my tigers and with a nod they had him bound and then they were gone.

A yell from the remaining tiger near my lover caught my attention._**"Master, I can not get the bleeding to stop. He is fading."**_

I turned and dashed to his side and was kneeling next to him. I looked down at my lover not knowing what to do. I lifted his upper body against me and held him close. _**"My love you have to hang on. You can not give up. Please hang on, do not leave me." **_I looked down at him. His hair was a mess and his face was contorted in pain. His shallow breathes labored because of the hole in his chest. I was at a loss. _'This can not be happening. What do I do? He is fading fast. He can't leave me.' _ I looked at my tiger, hearing him say something but not catching all of it.

_**"What?" **_I asked not believeing what he had said.

_**"Change him, master. That is the only way you will be able to keep him with you."**_

_** "And what am I supposed to do when he hates me and himself for what he has become?" **_I bit back. Instantly regetting it, I didn't mean to snap at him. _**"I'm sorry. But I have seen those who are changed who are not willing. They end up hating the one who changed them and themselves. They go mad with the blood-lust and have to be destroyed. I could never do that to him. Because in the end I could never kill him."**_

I felt a hand reach up and caress my cheek. I looked down into those beautiful eyes. I felt like going mad myself. If I lost him I would, and the council would have to send someone to destroy me. I would not live without him, but I could not change him against his will.

_**"What...would it...cost me to stay...with you, love?" **_He asked between gasps of air. His face was paling and his breathing was faint.

I stared down into those eyes afraid they would close at any moment and not open again._** "Your mortality. Your ability to die...Your humanity."**_ I said the last bit a little bitterly.

He smiled up at me and pulled me down into a deep kiss. Then reaching up his head he whispered into my ear. _**"Do it, love."**_

I just sat there, unable to understand what he just said. _**"Are you really willing to give up your human life?" **_I murmured in disbelief.

_** "Love, my human...life seems...to be faltering. It's...coming to an...end. I don't...want to...die. I want...to spend...all eternaty with you." **_He took a sharp, painfilled breath, then looked me in the eyes. _**"Do it."**_

__I nodded. _**"I'm sorry, this will hurt."**_ With that I bent down over the juncture of his neck and shoulder, kissing it gently then sinking my fangs into him.

_** xXxXx**_

** Well that's the end of the prologue and yes I intentionally did not say names (harder then you would think), sorry if you got a little confused. This was just a slight insight into the story. When this is actually inserted into a chapter I will put names and more details in. Because then I will know who is going to be who. So review and let me know what you think pretty please and thank you. :)**

**~Mad Hatter Korasu~**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ello loves hope you all enjoyed the preview. :) Anyways I will not waste time, on with it.**

**Disclaimer:** **I (to my great displeasure) do not own Beyblade or the boys and girls. I do, however, own my world and OC's. **

**Warning:**** This is a **_**YAOI!**_** Meaning BOYxBOY. If you disapprove, please use the back button and find something more to your taste and save me the trouble of reading an angry review thank you. Also slight OOCness will occur, I warned you so you have to be nice. Flames will be used to make a bon fire for me, my muses, and my plot bunnies, that ressemble demonic dust bunnies, to dance around. **

_**xXxXxXx**_

**General P.O.V****:**

Crimson eyes trailed over a map rather irritably. With a sigh the man put it down, begining to pace back and forth in his tent. Being the general of the king's army could be a pain in the ass sometimes. He put a hand on his hip and with the other massaged his temples. Six months ago this rediculous war started over a piece of barren land nobody truely wanted. It was the simple fact that the warring states had thought the other wanted it for some purpose and thus began this rediculous game of cat and mouse. The army he commanded won some battles and same with the other army. _'All we are really doing is chasing eachother off of land no one cares about. This is freakin rediculous. I would like to know why we are even here. Let them have the damn barren wasteland. I hope they rot with it!'_ He thought running a hand through two-toned blue hair. He stopped his pacing when he heard someone call out to him.

_**"You know, Hiwatari, if you keep frowning like that you are gonna get wrinkles and look like you are fifty instead of twenty-three." **_He looked up to see his friend and second in command, Bryan Kuznetsov, standing in his tent doorway. Bryan was about four inches taller then himself, and had lavender colored hair and storm colored eyes. He gave Bryan a stern look when he noticed the glint of frustration in his eyes.

_**"What is it Bryan? And if it has anything to do with those self-important, pompous bags of wind known as nobility, you can march right back out there and tell them they can bite me and get the hell out of my camp." **_

_** "Wow Kai! Touchy much?" **_He replied with a grin.

Kai sighed, closed his eyes, and counted to five in his head then looked back at his friend. _**"Can you honestly blame me, Bry? I mean we are out here on this rediculous fool's errand for a goddamn barren piece of land nobody really wants. There is seriously nothing here. Yet, here we are, fighting for it. Playing cat and mouse games with the king of Aren's army. It's fucking frustrating."**_ He growled.

_** "Hey I understand completly how you feel. But we have other issues at the moment. I think you should have a look at this. It just came by a carrier pidgeon." **_Bryan handed the letter to Kai, who took it and read it over.

He read it over and over again, about ten to fifeteen times, not believing what it said. He dropped himself into the chair behind him and continued to stare at the letter in disbelief. Kai sat there silently for a few moments, trying to process what he was reading. Finally he looked up at his lilac haired friend. Bryan shook his head already knowing what was written. This was not something they had wanted to see. The letter stated the other army had aquired reinforcements, and among those reinforcements were monsters. Kai had never been one to believe in such things, but now he had evidence written in plain black and white. He looked down at who signed it. He knew the name and knew that the person would never lie to him cause they were friends. Max would never lie about this. Now Kai had no choice but to accept it.

_**"You have got to be kidding me. Where the hell did they get reinforcements from? No other countries wanted to get involved with this rediculous play. Shit." **_ Kai was astonished and just looked at Bryan, who shook his head. Standing he walked out of his tent and seen others standing around. He looked around and finally spotted who he was looking for.

_**"Oliver! Send a mesage to the king tell him the other country has gotten help and that we need to abandon the campaign, unless he would like his army wiped out. The rest of you tear down camp, we gotta move." **_Looking around no one moved and Kai lost his temper. _**"I said tear down camp soldiers. That was not a suggestion. NOW MOVE!"**_

__Everyone started tearing everything down. Kai turned on his heels and headed back to his own tent, with Bryan right behind him. Once back into his tent he began ranting under his breath, shoving papers and other things into the various bags on the ground. Kai turned to look at his friend then, calling in his other four captains. After they were all gathered he pulled out the map he had been looking at earlier.

_**"We won't be able to retreat as a whole unit. We will have to split into groups and start pulling everyone out. Assign any competant luitenant as a leader of each group and you each take one as well. Make sure to go off in different directions and get to the nearest safe point in that direction. Go in groups no larger then thirty to fifty men. Groups any larger will surely attract thier attention. They don't know specifically where we are based, which is a blessing, but we can not and will not assume they will not find us." **_After that was said Kai dissmissed them and all but Bryan and a blonde left. He looked at them with a raised slate brow.

_**"What about you, Kai? What will you do?" **_The blonde asked.

The lilac-haired man sighed and looked at him sternly. _**"Please tell me you are not thinking, what I think you are thinking."**_ At Kai's nod Bryan huffed. _**"Of course you are! One question though. Are you out of your fucking mind?"**_

__The blonde at this point had become slightly irritated not knowing what the hell they were talking about. _**"Hey, will one of you please explain what the hell you are talking about?"**_ He said impatiently, looking expectantly between the two.

_**"Sure, our dear general is going to go out on his own and see how much the enemy has advanced on us, alone. He is going to go out alone towards our enemy. Without anyone for support if things go wrong. All alone like a fool. Did I mention he is going alone?"**_ Bryan said bitterly.

The blonde just looked at him for a moment, then shifting his gaze to his general he got the conformation of the truth in Bryan's words by Kai's nod. _**"Are you kidding me? Kai what if something happens and you don't come back at all? What are we supposed to do if something goes wrong? You are the leader of this army, you shouldn't be going on this escapade period, let alone on your own. That army has creatures we have never come across before. Creatures that according to the letter from Max on your table, can rip you apart with their bare hands."**_

__Kai gave an exasperated sigh. _**"What would you have me do, Spencer? Send someone with less a rank than I? I will not send my own men on an escapade, as you call it, if I myself am not willing to go. I chose to be this army's leader. I have a responsibility to my men. I refuse to be the leader in name only and not carry my own weight. Also if I am alone there is less of a risk of getting caught. So enough chatter. Go get your groups ready. If you do not hear anything from me by tomarrow morning, presume me dead, and get everyone safely out of this valley. If I'm not dead then I will find you in the next few days. Understood? Now go. I need to get ready. I shall let you know before I depart." **_

_** "I don't like this plan, one bit." **_Bryan said, sighing he looked back at his best friend and general. _**"But I suppose we can't stop you from going and god knows you won't take anyone with you. So just make sure you come back alive. This army depends on you and so does this country." **_Kai nodded at him. Then both Bryan and Spencer left him to get everything ready.

Once alone Kai began readying himself for his mission. He opened his trunk and began pulling out his equipment. He leaned his sword against the chair he was sitting on earlier, and pulled out his armor and laying everything out on his cot. Pulling out a few more garmets he shut the trunk and threw the other stuff with his armor. Then walking over to the tent enterance he tied the door closed so he was not walked in on. He wasn't particularly shy, but he had scars, scars he didn't like explaining. One cut across the right side of his chest, and there was another that went over his toned abs. The last, however, was the one not many have seen besides his five captains and he hated having people ask about it. It began at the top of his left shoulder and dragged diagonally across his back and cut over his right hip coming to an end at mid-thigh.

Kai unbuttoned his black waist-coat and slipped it off over his shoulders. Untieing the blue sleeved shirt at the neck and wrists he pulled it over his head and let it drop to the ground. Next he unbuttoned his breeches and let them slip off his hips. He bent down grabbing his chainmail and slipped it over his head. This was his favorite chainmail, it was light but strong, and was perfect for stealth operations. Then he pulled on a more heavy duty, cotton, blue sleeved shirt over the chainmail, tieing it in place around his neck and wrists, then he tucked the mail and shirt into kidskin breeches. He pulled on his arm and chest armor made of silver mythril, which was light and was easy for him to move in. Considering himself ready he pulled on his boots and greaves, then looped his sword's sheath to his belt and sheathed the sword. He grabbed his claok and scarf, and untied and opened the doorway.

Upon walking out he saw everyone was moving, tearing tents down, collecting things and putting them onto the pack horses who did not look pleased in the slightest bit. He then called out to one of the soldiers and asked him where Bryan and Spencer were. The soldier pointed him in the right direction and Kai set out to find them. He found them both with his horse, along with his other three captains Johnny, Robert, and Ian. None of them looked happy and he assumed Bryan and Spencer told them about his plan and they looked at him warily. Kai sighed and walked the last bit to them and his horse, stopping in front of the horse to give him a pat on the head. He then turned his attention to his captains who were still watching his every move.

_**"Will you please stop watching my every move like baby chicks?"**_ Kai asked bluntly. None of them shifted thier gazes and he took a deep breath. _**"Look I know none of you like this plan, but damn it, I'm going. I will not send anyone else on this mission. Especially now that we know they have monsters on their side."**_

__Johnny gritted his teeth. _**"That's exactly why YOU shouldn't be going. This entire army relies on you to guide them. It will fall apart if you don't come back. This army won't survive a shift in leadership. No one else knows how to deal with us the way you do Kai. None of us will follow anyone else, not even if it's ordered by the king. You are our leader, no one else."**_

__Kai looked at him with a semblence of a grin on his face. _**"Then I will just have to make sure I come back then, won't I? Don't worry, I'll be back. You all just make sure to get everyone to safety. Then the five of you go to Blitzkrieg and I will meet you there. Deal?"**_

__Still not liking the idea they all agreed, cause they knew he wasn't going to change his mind and back track his plan. But that still didn't change the fact that they were worried about the safety of their general, who was more importantly their friend. They knew Kai was the best swordsman in all the land. Tournament after tournament had proven that fact as true. However, if something were to happen, the other four noted Johnny's words as true. The army wouldn't accept anyone else as their general. Kai was this army's leader. They were loyal to King Leon, because he was. They followed the king's orders because he does. There were no greys with any of the soldiers, they followed Kai and Kai alone. If he ever chose to turn his back on the kingdom, so would the entirity of the army that followed him. To the soldiers they were not the king's army, they were Kai's. They would follow this man into the firey pits of Hell to fight against the Devil himself, if Kai wished it. Especially the five of them, his captains. Each of them had a special connection to Kai and their own reasoning why they would follow him until they no longer had a breath in their bodies.

Bryan saw Kai as his best friend, they've known eachother since childhood and grew up together. They both enlisted in the military at seventeen and fought their way to the top, together. When Kai became the general he said he would pick his own captains. Not just let the previous captains retain their place. He told them they had to fight to keep their place, that way it was fair. Bryan was reluctant to fight any of them but Kai goaded him into fighting to be one of his captains, telling him he was just being a chicken. So he fought the first captain and won the seat.

Spencer was an unusual case. He was on the opposing side of Kai and Bryan. In one of the many battles between the two factions Spencer was caught as a prisoner of war. The side he fought for however, were nothing but mercinaries and traitors, so when he was caught they didn't seem to care. Being a mercinary himself he didn't give any information to Kai or his men. He flat out refused to tell them diddly and told them in not so eloquent words to screw themselves. As the days wore on he got more and more foul until Kai had had enough. He challenged Spencer to a fight. Kai told him if he beat him he was free to go but if Kai beat him he had to give them all the information he had and he had to fight with him not against him. Spencer agreed thinking he would easily win due to the fact he was built like a brick shit house and Kai was small in comparison. He learned real fast though that size didn't always matter when it came to strength. Kai won the fight and Spencer's respect. After the battles with the mercinary group finished Spencer fought and won his place as one of Kai's captains.

Johnny was a master thief before the thought of fighting to be a captain under Kai ever crossed his mind. He was going to be beheaded when he first met Kai, for stealing into the king's treasury to steal the family jewels, which would fetch a pretty high price in the underground market. They kept him in the dungeons for god knows how long and the only person he ever seen besides the gaurds at the door was Kai. Upon learning just who Kai was, he was dumbfounded as to why he was bringing him his daily meals or even why he would waste his time talking to him. After a while he learned of his sentence, beheading. His sentence, however, was never carried out because Kai said he saw potential for a perfect army scout in him, due to the fact that he was able to get into the king's vault without being detected and only being caught because he dropped one of the many jewels. After he was spared he was determined to repay Kai for convincing the king to spare his life, so he fought to be a captain, in hopes of someday returning the favor.

Robert, was one of the castle nobility. He was an amazing swordsman, though he knew none of the castle gaurds fought him using all their skill because of his rank as a noble. He had made Kai angry when he lost his temper with one of the gaurds and nearly beat him to death, and Kai challenged him to a duel. Robert figured he was just another gaurd who wouldn't fight him as an equal so he accepted. Kai beat him quickly and when he said he was nobility Kai just scoffed at him and said he wouldn't have cared if he was the king himself and that he would still put him in his place if need be. He later learned from the other gaurds that Kai was the general of the army and truely wouldn't have cared if he was the king. He also learned that Kai was the youngest general in the county's history, reaching the title at nineteen. This intriged him so he began following Kai and learning more and more why all the soldiers had such high respect for him and why King Leon valued him as his best general. Soon after he found himself enlisted into the army and fighting his way up to be one of the five captains.

Ian was already a soldier in the army, though he had no intentions on moving up the food chain. He was an intelligence gatherer, and very good at getting people to tell him what he wanted. Though after a while he began to get bored and would randomly disappear from the ranks and then reappear a few days later. And he always had new information. The army lieutenants would usually come and beg him to give any info he had so they could report it to the general and try to impress him. Soon Kai caught on to where his lieutenants were getting their information from and appraoched Ian. Ian was surprised at the fact that the general would even want to talk to him at all, but none the less let him speak. He told Kai how he got his information, and that it kept him entertained to make the lieutenants beg for it. Kai said he thought that was interesting and commented on his tactics. After speaking with Kai, Ian found himself intrigued by not only Kai but the four captains as well. Then after a couple of months he joined the ranks as a captain.

Kai mounted his horse and looked down at his five most trusted friends. He knew they were right about the army, and why each of them would sooner cut off their own head then follow another. He smiled at them, _**"I'll see the five of you in Blitzkrieg in a few days. Try to stay out of trouble until I get there. Come on, Nero, let's go."**_

__The five of them just watched as he left. _**"I hate this. At least one of us should go with him or tail him."**_ Robert said annoyed at not knowing what to do.

Bryan shook his head at him._** "No. Trust me just do as he says. Let's just get everyone out of the valley and somewhere safe. Then we can meet up in Blitzkrieg, and wait for Kai. Besides Kai would be pissed if we disobeyed a direct order. And believe me you do not want him pissed at you."**_

_** "No kidding, I still have nightmares from when I disobeyed a direct order. He lost his temper and beat me to a pulp."**_ Spencer said with a shiver. _**"Come on let's get going. The sooner we get everyone out the better." **_Everyone silently agreed and soon after Kai left they were split into groups and moving out.

_**xXxXx**_

**Kai's P.O.V:**

I watched from the edge of the forest, making sure they did as I ordered, and none of them were going to follow me. My five captains could be rather stubborn at times. As soon as the last platoon left the camp I turned Nero towards the last place I knew the enemy had based. I still couldn't wrap my mind around how they got reinforcements or what the other would gain from helping the kingdom of Aran win the land. Though my opinion still hadn't changed. They can have the barren wasteland. King Leon really had no interest in that land but the minute another king showed that he had interest he sent me here with all the troops. Lucky me.

It pissed me off to tell the truth. King Leon could be rather rash at times, and not think things all the way through. He didn't even bother to try and find out why the other kingdom wanted the wasteland. He just sent us here. Though to be honest this was the quickest he has sent me and the army out. He seemed a little more then uncomfortable with the fact that the king of Aran wanted the land. I really can't fathom as to why he was so uncomfortable with the thought. It's not like the land is directly next to our kingdom, in fact it's quite a distance away. I can't decide if he knows something the rest of us don't or if he believes this land to be too close for comfort.

_'Well whatever it is, I don't like it.' _I thought as Nero and I silently stalked through the deep forest. It took a few hours but eventually I made it out of the forest and into the desert-like wasteland. It was dark by this point and I stopped Nero. Sliding off of him, I pulled the reigns over his head and guided him back a little ways into the forest. I removed the saddle and the bit in his mouth, then I pulled the reigns off. I gave him an affectionate pat on the side of his face.

_**"Alright buddy you know the drill. Stay hidden until I come for you. If anyone comes this way run home."**_ He nudged my face with his nose and I laid my forehead against his. Somehow, though I'm not quite sure how, I knew he didn't like my plan anymore than Bryan and the others. He was a good horse, very loyal and at times more stubborn than any one of my captains when it came to letting me go off alone. I gave him one more pat on his face and then turned and started off towards the encampment.

It took me all of thirty minutes to find what I was looking for. They were not very intelligent if you ask me. The only time you should have multiple fires going is at dusk. After night fell completely over the land multiple fires were like a beacon for the enemy. Then again if you have monsters on your side I suppose you can afford to be stupid. Though really, even if you have monsters, you should never, under any circumstances, underestimate your enemy. In my opinion it is safer to overestimate them. Assume they are stronger and you make yourself more aware of the enemy's movements.

As I got closer I could hear some spats over food and other chit chats. What caught my attention though was a conversation being held in the big tent, which I could only assume was this army's general's. I crept closer staying in the shadows and making no sound. I knelt behind the tent and listened.

_**"This was a wonderful idea. Teaming up with you and your men, I do believe, was the best decicion I think my king has ever made."**_ A voice said and laughed a bit,_** "Though I must ask. Why help us to win this land from the clutches of King Leon? We know that we are here to just gain more land, what's in it for all of you? What has our king promised?"**_

__Another voice gave a rather unnerving laugh. _**"Truth be told General Zeo, this land contains something very precious to me. Well actually it's not a something it's a someone." **_

__I watched the shadow of whom I pressumed to be General Zeo, tilt his head sideways. _**"I do not understand. There is someone living in this desolate desert?"**_

_** "Yes and no. The one I am searching for is not living, at least not in the way you believe to be living. He is...how shall I put it? He is in a deep sleep."**_

_** "A deep sleep?" **_The general asked sounding even more confused. _**"How does he sleep here? Is he like you?"**_

_** "No, he is nothing like me. I am a demon of the highest rank, a demon of Darkness. He is something much stronger then myself, well he will be once he has regained consciousness."**_

_** "But I thought you all thrived on being the strongest. Why wake him if he is stronger then you?"**_

__Another unnerving laugh came from the other shadow. _'I don't know what it is, but he makes me nervous. There is something about this man that just rubs me the wrong way.'_ I thought as I listened to his reply.

_**"True, we do thrive on being the most powerful. But that is only the way we demons think and as I said, he is precious to me. I have fought with him countless times and we have never lost a battle. He is one of only two that I hold any respect for. His blood lust matches my own. I believe he has slept long enough."**_

_** "What is he? If he is not a demon." **_The general asked again. But he got no reply, the other stood abruptly and gave out a hiss.

_**"There is a human here, whose scent I do not recognize as one of yours. He smells of the forest like the other humans we came across." **_I froze for a moment and then backed into the shadows further.

_**"It must be one of King Leon's dogs! We can't let him escape!" **_Zeo said. He called out to some others and I watched their shadows retreat from the tent.

_'Shit. I gotta get out of here. Never thought that I would be smelled out. Damn it.'_ I backed further into the shadows and began retreating when I heard shouts and the demon from the tents voice yell for them to follow my scent. I cursed again. _'I need to get back to the forest area they won't be able to track me down with all those other strong forest scents, hopefully."_ I jumped down off the shallow cliff and headed towards the forest area in the opposite direction from the side I came. The side I was headed to was much closer and I wouldn't have to worry about them finding Nero.

I could still hear their voices but they weren't on me like I thought they would be. I had a good headstart and I intended to keep it that way. I kept up my running pace and thanked the gods I had the endurance that I did. Some voices were getting louder and I ventured a guess that they were on horses. I turned my head and seen it was demons who were closing in on me and they were not on horses but running on all fours. I cursed again and pushed myself to run faster. Still they caught up.

There was a total of five and they had me surrounded. I watched them carfully not wanting to give them any more of an advantage over me then what they already had. One stepped a little closer to me and I placed my right hand onto the hilt of my sword. He smiled a toothy grin and taking another step closer he said, _**"Well well well, what do we have here boys? Seems to me that a little boy strayed a little too far from his camp. We should teach him some manners and how to keep from eavsdropping."**_

__I narrowed my eyes at him and shot back a venomous reply. _**"This little boy just happens to be the best swordsman in all the countries combined. So I doubt I can learn anything useful from a low-life grunt with a superiority complex."**_ He gave out a furious scream and leapt at me and I dodged him easily. I guess they don't know the golden rule, never charge your opponant. He came at me again with claws extended. I had no time to draw my sword and he was on me. I held his arms away from me so he was unable to sink those deadly looking talons in me. We struggled for a few moments against eachother. Idea after idea ran through my head as I tried to think of a way to get the bastard off of me. Then he did something I did not expect. He tilted his head and with a malicious grin he pulled back a bit. I was confused at first until I realized too late what he was going to do. His head shifted into the form of a snake then he bent down swiftly and bit into where my chainmail had shifted and exposed my skin on my left side. I gave out a pained cry and managed to flip him off of me. I stood again quickly, afraid to stay on the ground. They all seemed to inhale the scent of my blood and they began converging on me. They rushed at me but to my surprise none of their attacks hit, in fact I fell.

I hit the ground beneath me rather hard and it caused massive pain to shoot through the wound on my side. I looked up not quite understanding why the hell I fell. What I seen threw me off gaurd. I had fallen through a hole. The idiot that bit me was trying to force his big mass of a body through the too small opening. I heard someone yell at him and he was pulled forcefully, from the expression on his face, away from the opening of he hole. Another looked down and smiled. I watched him stand back up and heard, _**"Start digging at this hole, make it wider so we can get in."**_

___'Well while you guys are digging trying to get to me, I'm gonna find another way out of here.'_ I stood up clutching my side and began feeling my way around. At first all I felt was wall, then as I turned the wall gave way to another hole. I climbed my way through it and kept one hand on the wall and the other on my side as I walked through the path. Suddenly the wall disappeared again. From what I could make out in the darkness there were four paths I could take. Two looked very wide and I decided against them. I didn't want to make it easy for them to follow me if they got through the hole I fell through. So I picked the middle left and started crawling through it. It was a bit tighter then I would have liked and I felt a bit claustraphobic in the tiny confined area, but I knew they would have issues following me through here. I was barely small enough to fit through and they were all twice Spencer's size. Though the confined space made it harder to breathe along with the pain snaking its way through my body. A little ways further in and I finally came to a dead end. _'Shit shit shit.'_ I slammed a fist into the wall, I did not want to go back through the tiny path. I sighed and pressed my back against the deadend to rest for a moment. Though that was short lived when I gave a startled yelp as the wall gave in to my weight and I fell backwards.

I let out a string of curses as I stood back up. This was rediculous. Not only did I fall once but twice. As I continued my string of curses I ripped the scarf around my neck off and tied it over the bite to stop the bleeding. Keeping my right hand pressed against my side I looked around. I had fallen into a large dimmly lit cave. Well to be honest it looked more like a room of some sort. I looked at everything I was facing, there were many skeletons and miscellaneous bones scattered all over the ground. Old fashioned swords and shields, I had only seen in books about the old days, layed strewn as well. As I continued my obsrevations I turned slowly and my breath caught in my chest.

About six yards from me was a creature I had only believed to be a fairy tale. The dragon was a dark violet blue with specs of silver here and there. Standing on it's hind legs with it's wings out stretched and it's tail wrapped around it's feet. It's head was hanging and it's eyes were closed. It seemed to be frozen cause as I got closer it didn't move even a centimeter. Though this creature was a sight it was what it held in it's fore-claws that made my breath hitch.

There cradled within the dragon's grasp was the most stunningly, beautiful, angelic man I had ever seen. I stared for quite some time taking in every detail of him and, slowly inching closer as I did so. He was leaned back into the dragon's palms, arms hanging loosely over the creature's thumbs which were bent down slightly as if to hold him in place. The dragon had him cradled in a way that let his legs dangle from the knees. His head was tilted a little to the side resting on his upper right arm. He was clad in black velvet trousers that disappeared into soft leather boots, which slid up to cover most of his calves. Starting from where the tight pants ended to adorn his lilth frame was a white blue shirt with slight ruffles. The shirt hung carelessly on him and was open enough to reveal a good deal of the porcelian skin stretched over his pectoral muscles. He was as pale as a moon beam and it caused his hair, a lush red I would never find an equal too, to stand out more. Two strands of this seemingly silky hair fell into his beautiful face while the rest was swept up into a similar stance as the dragon's wings. I reached up without thinking to touch the angel's face. I trailed my fingers over his soft lips, realizing too late that I had used my right hand which had been holding my side, now he had blood on his lips. I pulled back looking down and swearing under my breath.

Noise caught my attention and I turned, swaying a bit, to look at the hole in the wall I fell through to see if it was the demons. I heard the noise again but this time I realized it was coming from the direction of the angel. I turned towards him looking up into that beautiful face once again. He was sitting up now and I watched as he brought a hand up to touch his bottom lip. _'Shit I woke him up. Way to go Kai, now how are you gonna explain to him why your blood is on him?'_ I berated myself. I watched him for a few moments more. His eyes hidden under thick, black lashes. He seemed to be pondering something then he did something strange. With a quick flick of his tongue he cleared his lips of the blood. Again I swayed feeling the effects of the blood loss and I had to take a step to keep myself from falling on my face. I looked up again and was frozen to the spot. Endless glacial blues bore into my crimson.

In an icey, smooth tone he asked, _**"Who are you?"**_

_**xXxXxXxXx**_

** Well that wraps up chapter one. :) Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Now reviews make this Mad Hatter a happy Mad Hatter and will earn faster updates. :) Til next time loves.**

**~Mad Hatter Korasu~**


	3. Chapter 2

**Ello loves here is chapter two! Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer:**** I DO NOT own beyblade or any of it's characters. Just my OCs and world.**

**Warning:**** This is a **_**YAOI!**_** Which means eventual BOYxBOY. Rated M for a good reason. Sensitive readers please use the back button and find something more to your liking.**

_**xXxXxXx**_

**Tala's P.O.V:**

_'Come now Tala, time to wake up, my little one.' _A familiar and soothing voice floated through my mind, calling to me. I felt something run across my lips and leave behind a substance that smelled very much like rust. I groaned lowly feeling uncomfortably stiff and opened my eyes. I looked at the creature cradleing me like a child. I recognized him as familair but couldn't place him or how I knew he was a friend. I couldn't remember anything. Not why I was held by this dragon or how I got here. I couldn't remember much of anything before now. The only things I could remember were my name and that I was not human, though I couldn't recall what I was. I sat up slowly letting my body remember how to move. I brought a hand up to my lips and touched the substance on them pulling it back to see that it was; in fact, blood. I looked at my fingers for a moment then let my tongue remove the blood from my lips. Then something caught my attention. I looked up to see a man sway a bit and catch himself from falling face first to the ground. He looked up at me, our eyes locked and my heart began to race.

I let my eyes feast on the rugged handsomness before me. Crimson orbs pierced right through my soul, penetrating the very fiber of my being. Those eyes of fire rested in a face of pale ivory seeming to have been carved by Hades himself, as a dark temptation. Deep, ocean blue triangles decorated his cheeks, in a way causing the deep red of his eyes to stand out more against his face. Two toned blue hair fell into delft locks around his head. He was obviously a warrior. Silver mythril cuirass hugged his muscular form like a second skin. Matching silver mythril bracers and greaves clung to the ends of his arms and legs. A sword of a different kind I had never seen before slept at his hip, tied to the belt loops of black kidskin trousers. His blue sleeved shirt was ripped revealing the chainmail that lay underneath. The chainmail was lifted slightly on his left side and I could see a blood soaked cloth wrapped around him. He was clutching his side so hard his knuckles had turned white and his hand was visibly shaking.

_'Hmm. So that's where the blood came from. He must have touched my face with the hand holding his side.' _I held his gaze a few moments longer then asked him rather coolly. _**"Who are you?"**_

He seemed to have forgotten his voice, staring at me with an expression of bewilderment. We stared at eachother a few moments longer and I was going to repeat my question when he took another unsteady step. His face suddenly contorted and he gave a painfilled hiss as his body fell forward. I caught him on instinct without even thinking, pulling him into the dragon's claws which held me, and looked down at him. Slate blue hair was mussed, sticking to his face. He had paled considerably, broken out in a cold sweat, and his lips were pressed in a hard line. His breathing was shallow and he had fallen unconscious. I cradled him against me letting his head rest against my shoulder, which was a slightly odd position because he was taller and broader than me. I moved his hand from his side and gently pulled down the cloth tied around him. Once the cloth was out of the way I could see a rather nasty bite mark, bleeding heavily. _'Damn, I'm surprised he was even still moving. This is pretty bad.' _I scoffed at myself then, _'What the hell do I care?'_ He suddenly gripped my hand in a bone-crushing grasp and gasped in pain through gritted teeth. He came to briefly and looked up at me, crimson eyes searching my own. He writhed against me taking in a sharp breath and tightening his grip on my wrist. He mumbled something, just audible enough for me to register he had said something.

_**"What did you say?" **_I asked as I leaned in closer to hear his reply.

_**"Kai, I said my name is Kai."**_ His deep husky voice sent shivers down my spine as he spoke. Then just like someone had blown out a candle he was unconscious again. Even unconscious his face showed the great amounts of pain he was in and he continued gripping my arm, as if he were afraid I would leave him. As if I could leave him like this. _'Wait, what the hell am I thinking? What the hell do I care? He is human. I don't think I have ever cared for a human before, so why now?'_ I was pulled out of my thoughts by a sudden movement.

I looked up to see pools of royal purple fire glowing. The dragon began to growl shifting his gaze from me to the opposite wall. I followed his line of sight and felt my eyes widen. Crawling through the wall were some odd looking creatures, and by the growls the one holding me was giving, they were not friends. The first one through had to force himself through the opening. Once he was through I could see he was huge, he looked like a cross between a man and lion. His eyes were an odd shade of reddish brown, and his face had brownish gold fur covering it. The shirt he wore was torn in several places, as if he had to fight his way down here, and looked as if it was barely hanging onto him. His arms were long and his hands were clawed, adding to the lion look. The one that came through next looked unscathed, besides the dirt on his garmets. He was more gangly than the first and could have easily been overlooked except he had the head of a snake. The edges of his mouth were saturated in a deep red substance I could only assume was blood. He smiled revealing red stained fangs, he had bitten someone and I was going to venture a guess that it was Kai. The smile wasn't pleasant when he looked at the man in my arms.

_**"So the little human has some luck." **_He spat. _**"After all he is still alive."**_

_**"But that can quite easily be amended, Ban." **_The lion man's voice was gruff and unnatural as he laughed.

I felt an overwhelming sense of protectivness and tightened my grip on Kai, glaring at them. I really didn't understand myself at the moment and didn't much care. I did not like these guys and for some reason what they had said purely and simply pissed me off. I heard another fierce growl and then seen, with a sense of satisfaction, the lion man fly into the wall. His head busted on the sharp-edged, rock walls and he fell to the ground, not moving. There was a deep rumble from behind me, the dragon was laughing. Kai gasped in pain from the movement it caused and turned his face more into my neck. I looked up at the dragon again and he was staring at the snake creature, a wicked sneer on his face. His tail slid back in around his feet and when he spoke his voice was deep, raspy and familiar.

_**"You will have to get through me. I will not let you harm either master Tala or the man in his arms." **_

Ban gave a sarcastic snort and glared at the dragon. I noticed something behind him and it was another person climbing through the opening in the wall. He looked to be human but scent told me he was not, he smelled of wood and earth. Not an unusual combination except when you caught the lingering scents of blood and death magic masked by the other scents. He finally got all the way through and looked up at us, eyes the color of cool, mint green, his hair was silver and he had a rather small frame. His dark complexion paled in an instant when his eyes landed on the dragon and he grabbed Ban's arm before he could charge. Ban narrowed his eyes and glowered down at him, but the other just shook his head.

_**"You would be less than a fool if you charged that creature."**_ He said in a surprisingly deep voice.

Ban just looked at him and a very undignified expression found its way to his face. _**"And why do you say that? He is only a dragon. We have killed plenty."**_

_**"Fool, look at his coloring. Does it not seem oddly familiar to you at all?" **_Ban shook his head. _**"That dragon looks like Kurikara."**_

Ban started to laugh uncontrollably and looked at the other. _**"Come on now, Kaza. Kurikara? As in the Mistress of Night's Kurikara? You can't be serious. There is no way that is him."**_

Kurikara? Mistress of Night? The names were familiar but I couldn't place why. Then the dragon spoke again and silenced the laughing snake. _**"On the contrary you insignifigant little whelp. Your friend is correct. I am who he believes me to be." **_

Both, Ban and Kaza, stared at Kurikara a little taken aback. Both had taken in a breath and hadn't let it out. Kaza was paling by the second and Ban was showing a mixture of emotions on his face. Niether moved a muscle, as if hopeing that if they remained still long enough the dragon would lose sight of them. All Kurikara did was stare them down. Then the snake laughed, a harsh, unpleasant sound.

_**"You could not be Kurikara. Kurikara was banished long ago from these lands. Lady Raina said so herself." **_I had about two seconds to wonder who Lady Raina was, and why I found comfort in her name, before an image flashed through my mind. I was standing behind a tree watching a petite figure, wearing a long, dark purple, hooded cloak so I couldn't see the face, walking towards Kurikara. The dragon bent his head down and a cloud white, slender hand placed itself right between his closed eyes. I watched Kurikara open his eyes and look at me. The figure turned and held that same hand out to me. But just as quickly as the image appeared it was gone as Kurikara spoke.

_**"Mmm. I have missed that name. It has been so long since I have heard the name of my mistress." **_Kurikara gave a deep sigh and then looked back at the two, a cruel glint flickered in his eyes._** "Though I must admit hearing that beautiful name come out of a filthy creature like yourself's mouth offends me."**_

With one quick movement both were laying on the ground in pain. A streak of silver caught my attention and I realized it was the tip of his tail. A low growl escaped him and he brought it down hard upon them, snapping every bone in their bodies. Another low, gruff laugh came from his mouth. He seemed satisfied, and truthfully so was I. Kurikara then stretched his wings upward and formed a hole above us. Tightening his grip on me and Kai he launched out of there as if the devil himself were on his heels. On the ground below us I seen more creatures trying to get into a hole but they became little more than ants as we flew higher into the onyx darkness. I looked up at Kurikara and finally found my voice.

_**"Kurikara?"**_

_**"What is it Master Tala?" **_

_**"How do I know you? Why is it that I feel like I know this Mistress of Night? Or Lady Raina? Are they the same person? Why can't I remember?"**_

_**"Everything will be explained eventually Tala. But right now we need to get you and that one somewhere safe and to someone who is able to patch him up."**_

_**"Ok, but I don't understand why should we care about a human? I really don't understand why it pissed me off that those bastards attacked him."**_

Kurikara's deep laugh caused vibrations to run through my body and again Kai tightened his grip on me and hissed in pain. A steady sigh escaped Kurikara. _**"That bite is worse than I thought."**_

The dragon looked down at us and I let my gaze fall to the bluenette's face. His eyes were half open and showed little sign of consciousness. He wouldn't be awake for very long. Kurikara gave me a look and I clapped my hand gently on Kai's cheek.

_**"Kai, I need you to tell me where we can take you that is safe. Can you do that?" **_He nodded slightly and then groaned at the movement, seeming to slip back into unconsciousness. I clapped his pale cheek again trying to keep him awake and he looked at me. _**"Focus on me Kai and tell me where to take you."**_

His brows furrowed as he focused on my face. _**"Blitzkrieg. I have men waiting for me there."**_

I watched just as before as his consciousness flickered out like a candle. I hoped Kurikara knew where Blitzkrieg was cause I sure as hell didn't. I looked back up at the dragon and he had a thoughtful look gracing his features. After a few moments he looked down at me.

_**"If I remember correctly Blitzkrieg is west of us. Hold him tightly Tala I need to increase my speed. The scent coming from his wound means poison. We don't have much time."**_

I only nodded and tightened my hold on Kai. Kurikara's wings began moving faster, with each movement the wings nearly touched at the top and overlapped below us. The wind began pushing it's ghostly hands harder against us. Kai's hair blew wildly around his face. Again he hissed, I looked down to see the light chainmail was flailing with the wind and beating against his wound. I shifted slightly so Kai wasn't at the front getting most of the slaps. My hearing was clouded out as the wind's breathy whispers grew to screams. As the powerful gale raked its fingers through my hair, it ripped my very breath from my lungs. This seemed to go on forever. It was a battle to just keep my grip on Kai and my breath.

After what felt like an eternity I felt the wind lessen its hold on me as Kurikara slowed to a glide. I opened my eyes slowly, afraid the wind would suddenly pick up again and try to rip them from their sockets. I looked down to see a city. From the looks of it, it was desolate. Not a soul was in sight and every building appeared to be no more than run down shacks. It was an old town. An image popped into my head, or maybe a memory. I was standing in the middle of this town, though the buildings were newer. Someone was standing next to me and clapped me on the shoulder. The person said something but I'm not sure what and all I did was nod my head.

_**"Ala...Tala!" **_Kurikara's voice brought me back to reality and I noticed we were descending into the surrounding forest.

I looked at him. _**"I'm sorry. This place seems familiar and an image came to mind but I don't understand it."**_

_**"It's alright. Now listen, once we land I'm going to shift to a human form but that will take a few minutes. While I do this try to wake him and get him to tell you the names of those he was supposed to meet here. That way, after I leave you two with a doctor, I can try and find them. Understood?"**_

_**"Yeah. But explain to me why we are doing this and why can't I remember anything?"**_

_**"All in good time Tala. Once we have everyone gathered I will explain what we do from there." **_He put us on the ground as gently as possible. _**"Now just try to wake him."**_

I looked down at the human still resting in my arms and then it dawned on me, how the hell was I supposed to wake him? When I raised my gaze to ask Kurikara he was gone. I sighed heavily and was rewarded with a bone crushing grip tightening on my wrist and a faint whimper. Damn it, what the hell was I supposed to do? I peered down at him again, his face was twisted in pain from my movement earlier and his grip on my wrist only seemed to tighten every two seconds. I sighed again, lightly this time, and repeated what I did earlier. I clapped my free hand against his cheek lightly a few times. Eventually his eyes fluttered open. Garnet eyes fixed their clouded gaze on my face.

_**"I need you to tell me the names of those you were supposed to meet in Blitzkrieg."**_

He blinked a couple of times, as if trying to process what I had said, then he went to nod, a movement I stopped before it began. _**"Bryan Kuznetsov, and four others. Bryan would be the first to reach Blitzkrieg."**_

I nodded. _**"Ok. We will be in Blizkrieg shortly. We have to get you to a doctor. Kurikara says you have been poisoned. So hang on, alright?"**_

He mumbled an ok before passing out again. I heard my name next to me and looked up to see a tall man standing there. His dark, violet blue hair was tied back in a thick braid that fell to his waist. His attire was similar to my own though both his breeches and shirt were a grey color and he wore a black jacket. Two swords were at his hip, kept in place by a silver chain. I looked up into his face seeing dark purple orbs and instantly registered it was Kurikara in his human form. His gaze held mine for a momen longer before he spoke.

_**"Did you get him to come round long enough to get an answer?"**_

_**"Yes. Bryan Kuznetsov should be the one we look for."**_

_**"We nothing. You will be staying with him at a doctors. I will be finding this Bryan Kuznetsov." **_I gave him an exasperated look and made to agrue but he held his hand up and shook his head at me. _**"Look, one of us should stay with him. I think it should be you considering he already knows your face. He may try to fight me because he doesn't know this forms face. I can find this man he is supposed to meet. Besides you are still out of sorts because your memories keep flashing before you every two seconds. And if I let anything happen to you I will not live to see another moon rise. That is not a promise I wish to be fulfilled."**_

_**xXxXxXx**_

**General P.O.V:**

A furious snarl along with a lound sound resembling that of a slap echoed throughout the cave. A long white jacket fanned as the man turned, gloved hands balled into fists. Brilliant red-orange hair framed deep, ocean colored eyes that were darkened in anger and directed at a serpent headed creature laying beaten on the ground. Ban was cowering on the floor at the feet of his commander. Blue eyes nearly darkened to black as his gaze continued to rest on Ban. His voice was low and filled with venom.

_**"Your task was not to confront him. Your task was to locate him and watch until I arrived. So tell me Ban, how the hell did you manage to fuck this up?"**_

_**"Sir...I...lost my temper. The dragon claimed to be Kurikara! He had to be lying...Ugh!"**_ Another fist made contact with Ban's face and he fell to the ground again.

_**"My patience with you has grown thin. That dragon was Kurikara."**_

_**"But...but...the Mistress of Night said..."**_

_**"She lied, you fool." **_The man spat grabbing Ban by the throat and lifting him off the floor. _**"And now, thanks to you, I have to prolong my search. Your incompetence is taxing and I have had enough of it." **_With a flick of his wrist Ban's neck snapped and he fell limp. The commander gave a 'tch' sound and threw the now dead demon into the wall. He turned away towards the exit and was met with questioning gazes from his other men. One stepped up and asked the question they were all dying to know the answer to.

_**"Commander Brooklyn, I'm not quiet sure I understand. Why would she lie?"**_

_**"She charged Kurikara with a great duty. Gaurding Prince Tala. She did not want others to interfere with his task, so she said he betrayed her and she banished him." **_Brooklyn answered bluntly. _**"Now enough questions. Let's go."**_

_**xXxXxXxXx**_

**In Blitzkrieg:**

Storm colored eyes roamed over the people in the pub, unconsciously searching the crowd. Bryan had been there since morning and it was getting dark and still no sign of his general. This caused a slow gripping panic to begin to set in. Kai could be the most reckless and stubborn bastard he knew and he had proved it again by leaving on his own. He sighed, all this worrying wasn't geting him anywhere and yet it was the only thing he could do til he got word from Kai. Bryan hoped that he would be there before the others cause they had a way of getting to him. They knew what buttons to push to get him to agree to go search for their general, he knew it and they knew it. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time they convinced him they had to do something. It was just down right irritating, that's all.

Another sigh escaped him as two familiar figures, looking a little worse for wear, walked through the pub doors. Johnny pin pointed him and tapped Spencer on the arm and pointed him out. As they walked towards him the ramaining captains Robert and Ian came through the doors. They followed Spencer and Johnny and collapsed into chairs next to Bryan. Spencer gave him a hard look and knew Kai hadn't been seen or heard from. A disgruntled 'tch' left his mouth and he brought a hand up to rub his temples. The air in the room was thick especially where the five captains were sitting. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a spoon. Others in the pub kept throwing nervous glances at the group as if afraid they would start a fight. The barkeep, however, knew them quiet well and seemed totally and completely relaxed, even as he brought them their drinks. In fact, Tyson has known them for quiet a while.

_**"Hey guys. Still no news of Kai huh?" **_He asked as he set the drinks down.

_**"No, not a damn word!" **_Bryan replied, taking his fourth pint from Tyson.

_**"Well I wouldn't worry too much. Kai is Kai after all. He'll be alright."**_

_**"We know. It's just, he is our general. Without him we are screwed." **_Spencer growled.

Tyson laughed lightly and then looked at them seriously. _**"Without him this entire country is screwed." **_They all silently agreed, not wanting to voice the truth. Bryan went to speak but held off when Tyson held up his hand and they followed his gaze. _**"One second." **_

They watched as he walked down and around to behind the bar approaching the cloaked stranger that had seemed to just materialize. The figure spoke silently but the solid bass of his voice carried and reverberated down the five men's spines. Tyson had a look of shock and confusion upon his face and then did something they didn't expect, he pointed to them. The figure bowed his head as if to say his thanks and moved towards them with an unearthly grace. As he reached them Bryan stood and stepped in front of the others. The other stopped and gave a slight bow of acknowledgment and Bryan returned the gesture. He stood straight again and slowly removed his hood to reveal a striking individual with royal purple eyes and long waist length deep, dark blue hair in a loose braid.

_**"Are one of you Bryan Kuznetsov?" **_The deep bass of his voice was even more prominate face to face.

_**"I am Bryan. What can I do for you?" **_Bryan asked slightly unsure he wanted to know.

_**"I am Kurikara. Are you the ones Kai is to meet here?" **_At Bryan's surprised nod he continued, now in a hushed voice. _**"I need you to come with me then. I will explain everything once I get you all to Kai."**_

At the mention of their general's name they were all on their feet. Kurikara turned and made his way out of the pub with the five on his heels. Bryan gave Tyson a slight nod on the way out and tossed him some coins, knowing the next time they met he would just hand them back. Kurikara led them down the main road which was as dead as a cemetery. No lamps were lit or noises the town once was full of. They treaded behind him with no words between them and yet they all knew what each was thinking. Who was this Kurikara and could he be trusted? Another anomoly was plagueing their weary minds as well, why did Kai not meet them himself? It was very unlike Kai to send someone to get them. Usually he would walk into the pub wave them to him and walk back out with a 'quit your bitching, I'm here aren't I' comment. A deep unrelenting feeling of dread crossed over their minds and it took most of their will to just silently follow the man, supposedly leading them to Kai. Kurikara stopped suddenly causing the captains, who were barely paying attention, to play dominos for a second. He motioned them to get behind a wall and placed a slender finger to his pale lips. They heard what sounded like animals getting closer. As the sounds continued to grow they realized they were deep, almost animalistic in quality, voices.

_**"Where the devil could they have gone? We found no traces of that human that Ban injured, and it seems rather unlikely that they kept him with 'em. Especially considering what the commander told us about the prince. Doesn't seem like he likes humans too much." **_The first voice was so deep it was harsh on the ears and it held a violent edge to it.

_**"The commander doesn't exaggerate either. All those stories he and some of the old ones tell about the prince are bone chilling. Although honestly they might have kept him with them. After all the last time the prince fed was over five-hundred years ago. Come on, let's head to the other side of the town and see if we can't pick up a lead on 'em there." **_The second voice replied.

The six of them listened to the voices as they faded and once they were out of earshot Kurikara stood and motioned them to quicken their pace. Bryan wanted answers but stayed quiet as they followed the stranger down an allyway. As they came to a house Kurikara stopped and the others heard a muffled scream of a voice they were all too painfully familiar with. When another painfilled scream met their ears the five captains made to go inside, only to be stopped by Kurikara.

_**"Listen, I can let you go in there but you have to remain quiet. Your friend has been badly poisoned and the doctor will need to stay completely focused on his task. If he is disturbed in any way Kai could die." **_He regarded them sternly and his voice held a sudden fierceness. _**"One more thing, if you so much as move threateningly on master Tala, the one holding Kai down, I will personally kill you. Now stay quiet."**_

At their nods he opened the door much as he had the pub door, without a sound. The muffled yells of pain grew louder as they approached a door down the musky hallway. Again the door was moved without a sound, and what was happening behind the door shocked the five to the core. A doctor was standing behind thier general, blood was covering his clothes as he gripped Kai's side. Kai lay faceing them, his chainmail and shirt lay forgetten in a heap. His painted triangles smeared beyond recognition and small rivulets of salty tears made their way through tightly shut eyelids. His face was paler than it ever had been, his lips were pressed in a hard line and his jaw was set ridgedly. His arms were slung tightly around the abdomen of a beautiful redhead, they assumed was Tala, who was holding him in place as the doctor worked. With every prod the doctor performed on his side his grip on the beauty only tightened. The five did wonder how the redhead didn't even seem to notice the tight strangle hold Kai had on him.

A look of pure horror crossed over the doctors face and he made a quick glance to Kurikara. Bryan and the others caught it and glared at the man. Blood suddenly began to wash over Kai's side in waves, coloring his ivory abs. Kai tightened his grip painfully around the other and a strangled scream freed itself from its cage in his throat. The doctor paniced and stepped away from him, shaking his head vigorously.

_**"I'm sorry! There is nothing I can do. The poison has coursed too far through his body from the bite. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" **_Without another word the doctor fled the room.

Bryan, Spencer, Johnny, Ian, and Robert didn't even notice him push through them. The only thing registering in their minds was what the doc had said about the poison and there was nothing he could do. Their friend was laying there in pain and there was nothing he could do. Kai was dieing. Fear, sorrow, and pain washed over them with an alarming speed. They were losing their general, their leader, their friend. And there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it either, except watch. Watch as he gripped tightly on to Tala, watch as pain continued to twist his features, watch as smothered and strangled cries of agony escaped him, watch as they could do nothing. Kurikara put a hand on the redhead's shoulder. He gave him a look like he had an idea and purple eyes turned towards them. He gave a short order of out and did all but toss them on their asses in the hall. Giving another short command of stay out he slammed the door shut, leaving them to their confusion.

_**xXxXxXx**_

**Tala's P.O.V:**

I watched as Kurikara threw the group he brought in with him out the door and slammed it. One of them, maybe all of them, started pounding on the door, but Kurikara wasn't paying attention he was looking at me. The look he gave me earlier unnerved me a bit and the one he was giving me now made me feel like a mouse a starved cat had trapped. He held his hand out to me, and I could feel the confused expression stretch over my face.

_**"The knife, Tala, give me the knife and your free hand."**_ His voice held an ominous quality to it.

Still confused I handed him the knife and held out my free hand. He took both in a firm grip then dug the knife into my wrist and sliced a deep, inch long cut into my skin. I gasped and winced from the sudden pain as the hot liquid courseing through my veins flowed freely. I gave him a reproachful look that he just waved off. He turned Kai onto his back leaving his head to stay rested in my lap, then he turned his attention back to me.

_**"Listen to me carefully. I want you to put your wrist over his mouth and let him drink some of the blood, understand?"**_

I looked at his face, was he seriously expecting me to let this human drink my blood? His expression changed ever so slightly from serious to serious and loosing patience, guess he was serious. I nodded my head and shifted my position so I could lift his head enough so he could swallow without choking. With a deep breath I placed my bleeding wrist over his mouth. He tried to turn his head but I held it in place and kept it from doing what he wanted. When he tried to protest the blood found its way into his mouth. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and entrancing orbs of fire caught me off guard. He gripped my wrist as if to pull it away but did not possess the strength to. After what seemed like an eternity the gaze of intoxication slowly faded into one of clarity. I watched him as he seemed to become stronger and stronger. An odd feeling came over me, my body felt so light I felt as if I were floating. My vision began to faze in and out of focus along with my conscience. I felt as if I were there but I wasn't at the same time. I called out to Kurikara, but I don't even know if I voiced his name at all. The next thing I knew I was looking at what could only be the ceiling. The sensation of falling washed over me, but I couldn't get my body to respond to catch myself and I prepared for the impact of hitting the ground. It never came however, just the feeling of strong arms wrapping around me and the sight of clear crimson eyes, then darkness enveloped everything.

_**xXxXxXxXxXx**_

**Hmmm...I was going to put more into this chapter but it would have just massacred it. So you will have to wait til chapter three for more. Hope you all enjoyed! :) Now reviews make this Mad Hatter a happy Mad Hatter! Til next time loves!**

**~Mad Hatter Korasu~**


	4. Chapter 3

**Ello loves! Here we are at chapter 3! Thank you all who have reviewed! This Mad Hatter is ecstatic you like the story so much! Now without further delays I present chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer:**** I DO NOT (no matter how much I wish it) own Beyblade or any of the characters. Only my OC's and world.**

**Warning:**** Rated M for a good reason. If you have not been paying attention to earlier warnings this is a **_**YAOI**_**, meaning eventual BOYxBOY.**

_**xXxXxXx**_

**Kai's P.O.V:**

Poison, poison he said. That damn snake faced bastard bit me and poisoned me. Lovely. Now what the hell was I supposed to do? Bryan, Spencer, Johnny, Ian and Robert were expecting me to meet them in a few days and now I'm not sure I'm going to be able to. Part of me was frustrated at that fact but another part of me was relieved. The five of them had been insufferable when I got the damn scar on my back. Now they would be even worse if they find out about this. No, I should correct that, cause the fact I told that red haired angel where I needed to go and who I needed to meet up with has just dawned on me. So they will be worse **WHEN** they find out about this. I'll never hear the end of it, wonderful.

Speaking of the redhead, I'm amazed that I answered his questions without even thinking about it. He asked, I answered, not good in my line of work, not good at all. I don't know what the hell's come over me, but damn it, I should have thought this out. Nice to know that all an enemy has to do is put the redhead in front of me and I will apparently spill my guts. Lovely thought. I could have just put my five captains in danger. For all I knew that ice blue eyed angel could be on the opposing side. Do I believe that? Not a damn bit. It wouldn't make sense for him to ask me where I needed to go and then tell me he was taking me to some doctor because I've been poisoned. Not to mention he really didn't seem like he liked those bastards in that cave. There was just something about him that told me I could trust him. Same with my instincts, and if there was one thing I trusted- it was my instincts.

Not that they were doing me much good at the moment. Every alarm was screaming at me to swing at the person probing my wound. They were shaking and causing waves of pain to emulate throughout my entire torso. It was really starting to fucking hurt and piss me off. All I wanted was for whoever the hell it was to stop touching me. I would have voiced it if I could have, but pain had me gritting my teeth and unable to make more than a pittiful, painfilled scream. If my body would respond and I wasn't held against someone or something I would have swung at the person. At the moment I was reduced to begging the goddess to let them kill me, end the shockwaves of pain washing through my body.

Finally the hands were removed and the pain subsided into the intense dull throbbing, it still hurt like hell but it wasn't the overbearing pain and that was an improvement. I could hear voices but was unable to make out anything distinct except someone saying sorry. Didn't know what they were saying sorry for, but my guess would have to be that it had something to do with me and this damn bite. After what seemed like an eternity I heard another voice giving commands from the tone and then a door slam shut. The voice with the commanding tone was talking again but this time it was softer and less demanding. I could tell whoever it was wasn't talking to me but whoever was beside me, maybe the one I was gripping. I felt the person gasp and then hands on me, again. I was turned onto my back with my head still resting where it was. The movement made my head swim and if I was able to breathe through the pain, I probably would be sick to my stomache. I heard the voice again then a few moments later the person I was leaning against shifted slightly, lifting my head.

Something warm and smelling of metallic copper touched my lips and instinctively I tried turning my head. The movement was stopped instantly and my head was held in place. I tried to speak, to tell whoever it was to fuck off and stop, but the moment I opened my mouth hot liquid slipped in my mouth. A sudden burst of strength found its way through my body like someone opened a flood gate and winter waters drowned the fire of the poison. My eyes flew open to meet the same iced blues from before. I reached up to take whatever was on my mouth away, but my mind was clouded as if I were given a drug and my body wouldn't respond. I started pulling myself to the surface, reaching for those impossibly blue eyes. As my strength returned my mind began to clear. However, as I became stronger and more aware, I noticed the blue eyes of the redhead become more clouded and lost. Soon I was aware I was drinking blood from _his_ wrist and drinking in _his_ strength. I was becoming stronger as he was weakening. His eyes became completely unfocused, the blue dulling to a dark shade of cerulean. I felt his body pull away from me as he started to fall backwards. Sitting up quickly I reached to grab him, wrapping my arms around him. I held him against me, looking into his eyes. Azure orbs looked up at me for a moment until his consciousness slipped and his eyes were hidden from view. I looked up at the only other person in the room. He stared back at me with ominous, silvery blue eyes. He nodded at me seeming to acknowledge my presence.

_**"What the hell happened? Why was I drinking his blood?" **_My voice was calmer then it should have been, making me slightly nervous.

_**"Kai, do you know what he is?" **_Great a question for a question.

_**"What he is? Human?"**_ I replied, slightly confused at the question.

I was answered with a low laugh that was instantly familiar. It was the same as the dragon's that was holding the redhead I was now holding against me. Before he could answer me though the door burst open to reveal the very people I was hopeing wouldn't have to know about this. Bryan sank to his knees at the door along with Spencer, while the others just stared at me with a mixture of shock and relief. I took my gaze down to my head captain, who was sitting there shaking. It was unusual for him to let anyone see him cry, especially someone he didn't know and yet there he was with tears streaking his face. He closed his eyes and I barely caught the faint whisper.

_**"Thank the Goddess." **_

__With the lilth body in my arms I stood, amazed at the pure strength my body shouldn't have had. My body felt like it was lighter and power seemed to flow through me. I was confused, none of this made sense. A few moments ago I was quite literally knocking at Death's door with silver in hand to give to the ferryman. My mind was still slow however cause it took me until now to realize the wound on my side was completely healed without even the slightest hint of a new mound of scar tissue. I raised my gaze up to the stranger in the room.

_**"What the hell? How am I even still breathing?" **_Silvery blues connected with my crimson. Then it dawned on me. _**"You're the dragon from that cavern. The one that was holding him."**_

__He gave me a nod with a smile and a swift bow, _**"Kurikara."**_ Then just as suddenly as the smile had appeared it was gone. His eyes flicked to my captains and a frown marred his features. _**"Are these the only ones you were to meet here?"**_ At my nod he continued. _**"Good. We need to leave Blitzkrieg."**_

_** "Whoa whoa whoa! Somebody explain to us what the fuck is going on. Kai was practically dead just moments ago. Now he is standing strong, the wound completely healed without even the slightest evidence it was even there, and the redhead is out cold." **_Johnny's voice held aggitation, confusion, and worry.

_**"I will explain once we are safely out of the city."**_

__I nodded my head. _**"Let's go."**_

__I layed the redhead down on the bed I had been on and pulled on my torn and bloody shirt, then picked him back up into my arms. His head rested against my shoulder and I caught a small wiff of an intoxicating scent coming off him. Kurikara nodded and made for the door but stopped and turned to look at me. His gaze fell onto the redhead and he held out his hands for him.

_**"I can take Master Tala." **_

I shook my head. _**"I'm the one who put him in this state, so I will carry him."**_

__He nodded then turned and walked out of the room. I started after him but stopped when I caught the looks of the others. None of them looked like they believed thier eyes at all. Truthfully neither did I. I couldn't understand how I was up and moving after that, and not having the slightest bit of trouble with it either. Not one bit of this made any sense, but when it comes to wars that involve demons I suppose it wouldn't. I gave the five of them a nod, silently telling them let's go. Bryan and Spencer stood letting me pass, and stayed right on my heels. We found Kurikara waiting for us outside, he held up a finger to his lips signaling us to stay quiet. He moved swiftly down the road towards the southern end of Blitzkrieg. A strange feeling washed over me as we followed, something was wrong. Kurikara wanted us to get out of Blitzkrieg quickly and now I was understanding why. He probably sensed something was off before any of us did. I could tell that the others had caught on as well because thier hands stayed close to thier blades and thier expressions said they were not liking what they were feeling.

The southern gates were extremely ornate, looking more like a dark castle's gates rather then an old run down city's. They stood at least fifty feet tall and were made of the darkest oak I had ever seen. At the top of each pillar on the sides stood carved statues of ferocious gargoyles that honestly would be quite scary if they were real. The only functional part of the gate was the small door at the side. The rest was so unused that dirt had built up enough to prevent it from moving. Kurikara stopped at the door waiting for us to be right next to him. Once we were all gathered he pulled open the door letting us out of the city and into the wilderness out side of it.

As we ran for the forest Kurikara stopped dead in his tracks causing the rest of us to collide with him. It only took a few moments to realize why he had stopped. About twenty feet in front of us stood two men of at least Spencer's size but had a darkness about them that was unsettling. One smiled and took a step towards us like he was about to greet an old friend. Kurikara in response stepped in front of me and Tala. He wasn't happy about thier being here and I was in agreement. There was something off, something inhuman about them. I tightened my hold on Tala when the comment he made reached my ears.

_**"We just want the redhead. We don't have to fight."**_

__Kurikara growled, not at all happy with that comment. _**"You are mistaken if you think I would just hand him over to the likes of you."**_

__The other laughed continuing to come closer. _**"You act as if we are going to give you a choice."**_

__Suddenly the man screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. Tala was no longer in my grasp but behind the fallen bastard. I watched as Kurikara's body tensed ever so slightly and then completely relax. Tala stood above the man, his face hidden by the shadow cast by the waxing moon. He slowly knelt down taking one of the man's arms then he pulled harshly and it diconnected from his body. Again a scream of pure pain echoed through the thick silence. Tala then reached down covering his mouth and giving his head a good sharp twist. The sound of his neck breaking was gut wrenching and to my sick realization I was satisfied with it. With in a blink of an eye Tala was right beside the other who was blocking us. He cried out dropping to his knees, apparently trying to beg him to spare his life. Tala seemed to be as disgusted as myself because he simply gripped his throat causing his head to turn to the side. Then the redhead did something I did not expect, he bit into his exposed flesh. The moon showed the man's eyes go wide when Tala bit him and soon they turned glassy and gained a look of distance to them. Tala pulled back letting the body fall to the ground, and reached a hand up to wipe his mouth. He swayed a bit, not seeming to be very stable on his feet and turned on his heels towards us, his face still hidden in shadow. Then just as suddenly as he was out of my arms he was back, eyes closed and totally out again. Kurikara's laughter drew my attention away from him.

_**"Good he is starting to remember."**_

__I looked at him, not understanding that comment. He shook his head at me and waved us to move on. We hiked through the dense forest for at least an hour before the dragon decided we were far enough away from Blitzkrieg. Truthfully I would be amazed if anyone found us in here. The trees were close together, connected by shrubs that just wanted to trip you as often as they could. The dirt beneath our feet was soft and each step made on it was quiet as a ghost. Nothing seemed to be moving in the dense darkness, it was almost too silent. When we approached a small clearing just big enough for a small encampment he held up a hand.

_**xXxXxXx**_

**Normal P.O.V:**

Kurikara kept the six of them behind him, not wanting them to get in the way. He pushed his sleeves up away from his hands, then closed his eyes. The others watched as dark static began to flicker off his finger tips and dance around his hands. He whispered a few words then sent the balls of dark electricity into the clearing. Fire burst into the middle, creating light and warmth, as sleeping beds layed themselves out around it. Once everything was settled Kurikara turned to the group of shocked soldiers, making a sweeping movement with his arms gesturing them to the now made camp. Kai layed Tala on one of the sleeping beds and sat on the one next to it, turning his attention back to the dragon. Kurikara met his orbs of ember with his own silvered blue stare. Johnny cleared his throat catching the attention of everybody.

_**"Ok. We are out of Blitzkrieg. Now explain what the hell is going on."**_

_** "Yes, I suppose I can answer your questions now. Though it is a long story."**_

__Kai kept his gaze on him as he nodded. _**"We aren't going anywhere."**_

__Kurikara sighed. _**"Very well. I'll start at the begining. I am one of four dragon lords of the highest rank. I come from the Shadow Lands. The time before the Sleep was ignited in war and the prince was the leading warrior. Our mistress charged me with a mission of great importance. I was to protect our kingdom's prince at all cost. In order to do this I was branded a traitor and 'banished'. I ventured out into the war zone to find my charge as instructed by my mistress. When I found him he had already fallen into his Sleep right on the battle grounds. The area had been raveged by the war and I decided it would be the best place to hide him, right below the battle field. Kai what you stumbled into was not simply a cave, and truthfully I'm not entirely sure how you got through my barrier. Though I am glad you did. That cave was the resting place for prince Tala. The moment you fell through, it triggered my spell on myself to wane. Even more so you woke him, something no one had been able to do in over three hundred years."**_

_** "Wait a minute, three hundred years? How is it he isn't dust?" **_Spencer chimed in, letting his curiousity rule over him.

_**"I'm in agreement. I don't understand." **_Kai put in.

_**"Do you remember my question from earlier?" **_At Kai's nod he went on._** "He isn't human. He is a vampire. More specifically, he is the prince of all vampires. He is a member of the purest of bloodlines, the Zimnii Hodok."**_

__Bryan looked at the dragon. _**"What's Zimnii Hodok?"**_

_** "It means 'Winter Walker'. They have the powers of winter. Ice, snow, chill, it varies on the wielder's personality."**_

__They all nodded thier heads, still slightly confused though. Kai sat back as he processed all the new information. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, making it difficult to let things sink in. He had never been one to believe in such creatures, and in one whole night he had a run in with demons, dragons, and now vampires. As he sat there, the nagging thought finally surfaced and he let his gaze shift over to Tala then back to Kurikara.

_**"Why do the demons want him? What is it they would gain from getting him?"**_

__Kurikara's gaze flicked to the sleeping redhead and he shook his head. _**"I don't know. In the cave I remember hearing my mistress's voice saying to keep him away from them, and you as well. My guess as to why they want Tala, is because before he fell into his Sleep he was a feared warrior. One who could make others bow to him with just a simple look. There was no one who could challenge him, or would challenge him."**_

__Robert had sat in relative silence, same as Johnny, listening to the conversation trying to grasp it all. Robert let out a slightly frustrated sigh. _**"This has been bugging me since you said it the first time and now even more so. Why, if he was one of the greatest warriors, did he go to sleep in the first place?"**_

_** "That I do not know. He is the only one who can answer that. Perhaps he will after all his memories come back to him. I can not guarantee that he will answer, but there is no harm in asking." **_Kurikara sighed heavily, finally removing his gaze from Tala to look at Kai.

The general was staring into the fire, face blank but eyes screaming with a question that desperately wanted answered. He pulled up his shirt to look at the would be scar to see that there was nothing there. No line to show the tear in his skin, no mound of scar tissue, nothing. He pulled his eyes up from his side and made eye contact with the dragon again.

_**"How did this heal that fast? Why do I feel so much stronger? And what happened to him afterwords?"**_

_** "It healed that fast because that's what a vampire's regenitive powers are capable of. You feel stronger because you drank the blood of a pure blood. He passed out because he gave you all of his strength to get better, he poured all of his powers into you. He just slightly over exerted himself. Now before you ask what happened outside of the gate I will explain. When a vampire's powers are low and they slip into unconsciousness thier body will go into an automatic defense. When a threat is near, thier body will react on its own. Often if the threat can be used as a source of regaining power they will feed from them. That's what Tala did. He is remembering things, that's good." **_Kurikara replied swiftly. _**"Now all of you should get some rest. We will have to leave this place early and start towards Kolton."**_

__Again Kai looked at him. _**"Kolton?"**_

_** "My mistress's kingdom and Tala's home. I was told to bring you all along. Now rest." **_Came the soft reply.

The soldiers layed down without much of an argument, they were all exhuasted. Everything seemed to have happened too quickly and left thier minds in a daze. Kai continued to watch the fire for a while longer, letting the crackle and snaps of it fill the silence. It was a sound that was easy to fall asleep too, a comforting sound for some reason he couldn't muster in his tired mind. Soon his eyes began to shift closed and he layed back, continuing to listen to the soft sounds of the fire. Before he knew it he was asleep.

_**xXxXxXx**_

**Tala's P.O.V:**

I felt as if I was fighting myself the entire time I was unconscious. Somewhere deep inside of me was thrilled I had saved Kai's life, made him strong. Then there was that annoying part that wouldn't shut the hell up, complaining that I needed to demand payment for giving a human my blood. I wanted to hack that side up and pretend it never existed. It was seriously pissing me off. Though I had to admit it had a point when it said it didn't make sense what I did. The strange thing was after I had given Kai my blood and my consciousness had slipped into that quiet oblivion, I kept seeing flashes. My one guess would be it was some of my fragmented memories. Flickers of other dragons, a woman's beautiful face, a sword, and some battles were what I seen. Nothing more, nothing less. I hated not being able to remember things. Though I did see more after I drank that nasty blood from that demon. More fragments, nothing whole, unfortunately. I remember a man with tiger orange hair, again the sword, then nothing. Memory loss was a tricky business, and irritating.

I woke up again feeling stiffer than I would have liked. As I sat up I looked around. Kai was sleeping next to me on another bed mat, his friends in a circle around the now diminished fire. Kurikara was watching me intently, his gaze sort unsettling. He smiled at me, a big toothy grin that nearly had me falling over in laughter. I smiled back and continued to look around. We were in a forest, rather dense one from the looks of it. It was quiet too, no birds, sounds of insects, or small animals, nothing. I looked back at Kurikara when I heard his voice.

_**"How are you feeling?"**_

__I shrugged, noticing how tense I was. _**"A little hazy. I'm not sure what to think right now."**_

_** "Well we are going home. It will be about a month and a half trip from here, as long as we don't run into any trouble. There is another small town at the edge of this forest, we can stop and let all of you get fresh clothes and some food for our journey."**_

__I nodded trying to sink everything in. Movement caught my attention and I looked to my left to see Kai had sat up. He turned his head and I was almost immediately caught in the snare of those garnet eyes. We stared at eachother for what could have been an eternity, then I broke eye contact by looking down. When he spoke his voice was just how I remembered it except pain was no longer giving it a hard edge.

_**"Tala?"**_

__I looked back up at him, swallowed the lump in my throat and answered. _**"Yeah?"**_

_** "Thank you. For saving my life, I mean."**_

__The sincerity in his voice put me off gaurd, and I felt my face heat up. I looked down again and nodded, whispering my answer. _**"Umm...you're welcome?"**_

__I took a peek up at him and caught a crooked smile that made my heart race. I looked back down trying to calm my nerves. This was rediculous. I felt completely shy for no good damn reason. I sighed and looked back up at Kai, who was now looking at Kurikara.

_**"When do you want to head out?"**_

_** "Let's give everyone time to wake up. As I was telling Master Tala, there is a town at the other end of the forest. We can let you get some clothes and food provisions. We have a month and a half journey ahead of us. Master Tala...what?"**_

__I was staring at him rather irritably. I didn't like being called 'Master Tala', it bugged me. _**"Don't call me that. Just say Tala. 'Master Tala' sounds weird."**_

__He laughed and nodded his head. _**"Ok, ok. Tala do you feel up to walking or would you like one of us to carry you?"**_

_** "I can walk." **_I replied with irritation coloring my tone.

_** "Well let us know if you feel dizzy or anything, ok?" **_Kai countered.

_**"I agree. If you feel odd at any given time don't try to fight through it, tell us. You're body is gonna be on a physical and mental spiral." **_Kurikara added.

I nodded my head and stood up. Kai was up to waking his friends, who did not look pleased in the slightest. They grummbled curses not wanting to move. Kai ripped the blankets off of them causing more curses to be thrown his way, some of which were interesting. Finally they were up and moving, grudgingly from thier expressions. They moved off of the bed mats, proceeding to fold them up. Kurikara cleared his throat and gave us all a 'what the hell are you doing?' look. Without a word he snapped and everything, even the fire, disappeared. He then turned on his heels, not seeing the amazed expressions on everyone's faces, making his way into the dense forest calling back to us.

_**"Let's get a move on."**_

_**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**_

** Okay that's chapter 3. Sorry if it's not up to par with my previous chapters, it's 3 a.m. and I had to get something put in. This chapter for some reason was arguing with me. I have already started chapter 4 that one is coming more easily. I promise there will be more action and stuff in the next chapter. Now reviews make this Hatter a happy Hatter. Til next time loves.**

_**~Mad Hatter Korasu~**_


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